Analysis: Timing Isn’t Right for G5 PowerBook

It did n’t take an Amazing Kreskin to see impendent new PowerBooks . Until last hebdomad ’s announcement that its PowerBooks would see a small-scale focal ratio bump and other improvements , Apple had n’t update the production line since April 2004 . And nine months is pushing the outer edge of “ healthy ” in Apple ’s CPU upgrade oscillation .

It also did n’t take psychic powers to know that , despite the “ friendly ” rumor - mongersapplying atmospheric pressure , this round would not introduce the PowerBook G5 . For its part , Apple has repeatedly said that putting the PowerPC G5 in a PowerBook is incredibly hard , or as Tim Cook , Apple executive frailty president of wolrdwide sales and operation , put it during the company ’s recent earnings call , it ’s “ the mother of all thermal challenges . ”

The truth is , as much as professionals want G5 power in a notebook , the flake was not designed to run in a box seat as thin as a PowerBook display case . The Freescale ( néeMotorola ) PowerPC G3 and G4 french fries were designed as dispirited - power , high-pitched - operation processors suitable for everything from Power Macintosh systems to machine railway locomotive and electronic connection router — and that ’s why they still have n’t reached 2GHz , much less make it .

IBM followed Intel ’s route in using mellow - top executive , heat - throw up parts to get maximal execution , and it worked — for screen background scheme . The days when Apple ’s fastest PowerBook could match the processor speed of its fast Power Mac are gone , and they ’re not coming back anytime soon .

Today , there ’s little market for a PowerBook G5 anyway , except among the set that always wants the modish toy immediately . The PowerPC G5 ’s master strengths are 64 - bit processing , larger store savoir-faire blank , and raw processing power . The destination blank is n’t an issue — no PowerBook to date can hold 4 GB of RAM , much less enough random access memory beyond 4 GB for single applications to run into problem . The 64 - bit reference spaces are mostly utile in scientific computer science right now , and we ’ve fancy no evidence that the food market is clamoring for a 64 - bit notebook computer .

That leaves natural processing speed and 64 - bit number scraunch power , both have that appeal primarily to multimedia master . But even for Final Cut Pro HD experts , a dual - processor Power Macintosh G5 will always smoke a single - processor PowerBook in picture encoding , applying real - time audio or picture effects , and other project of non - linear redaction or execution .

Even when Apple gets a PowerPC G5 into a PowerBook - sizing casing , chance are at least 50 - 50 that the supporting motorcoach wo n’t range at half the processor ’s hurrying , like most Power Macintosh G5 systems , because the necessary supporting chips would take too much power and get too much heat , just like today ’s G5 processors do .

The semiconductor unit industry has face problems this unmanageable before and resolve them , and we have religion it will do so again . For now , though , road warriors have a selection of young PowerBook G4 machines aimed at making the peregrine life a trivial mo skilful — hard platter protection if you drop the computer , better scroll without a mouse , and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR . The entering fee for PowerBook ownership dropped from $ 1,599 to $ 1,499 for the 12 - in model , and the dues for the ultra PowerBook drop from $ 2,799 to $ 2,699 . The other model dropped in price as well , except for the novel introduction - degree 1.5GHz 15 - inch PowerBook G4 . It costs as much as the old submission - grade 1.33GHz 15 - in model , but it ’s 13 pct faster with the nifty new hardware feature for the same $ 1,999 retail price .

Today ’s depth psychology is uncomplicated . If you call for PowerPC G5 performance , buy a Power Mac G5 or , at the very least , an iMac G5 . If mobility is more important than receive 8 gigabyte of RAM or encoding MPEG-2 picture as tight as possible , the novel PowerBook G4 speed bumps are worth a look . Buy what you call for , not what the rumor sites can imagine . If you need to remain mobile but desire the fast G4 performance Apple has ever delivered — faster than any other G4 system the party has ever send — then these PowerBooks could be for you .